Many wastewater treatment plants employ an activated sludge process to break down the organic matter in wastewater. A conventional activated sludge process typically begins with the removal of course materials such as grit, large particulate matter and other suspended solids from the wastewater. The wastewater is then sent to a primary clarifier to separate sludge from a clear supernatant. The sludge is removed for disposal or further treated in a digester, where a clear liquid is recycled back to the primary clarifier and the unconsumed sludge is sent off for disposal. The clear supernatant from the primary clarifier is combined in an aeration tank with bacteria-laden sludge, also referred to as activated sludge, from a downstream process. The clear supernatant and activated sludge form a mixed liquor that is aerated in the aeration tank to reduce the BOD. The mixed liquor is then sent to a secondary clarifier or membrane system to settle and/or thicken the sludge and leave a clear effluent. The clear effluent is removed, disinfected and typically discharged into a local waterway. A portion of the sludge is returned to the aeration tank as return activated sludge (RAS), while the remainder is usually concentrated and sent off for disposal as waste activated sludge (WAS).
Current wastewater treatment processes exhibit two important drawbacks. First, many wastewater treatment processes generate large amounts of WAS that must be sent off-site for disposal. Handling and disposal of WAS is typically the largest single cost component in the operation of a wastewater treatment plant. Second, most wastewater treatment processes cannot effectively respond to diurnal, seasonal, or long-term variations in the composition of wastewater. A treatment process that may be effective in treating wastewater during one time of the year may not be as effective at treating wastewater during another time of the year. Therefore, a need exists within the industry for a wastewater treatment process that both lowers WAS and adjusts effectively to fluctuations in wastewater composition.